Saunooke was released on her own recognizance after a bond hearing and is scheduled to make her first appearance Friday in Johnson County Circuit Court in Clarksville, Sheriff Jimmy Dorney said.

“I think she had very good intentions, loves animals, and I think she got in over her head and couldn’t afford to take care of them,” Dorneysaid. “I don’t think it was intentional. She’s had horses and been around animals all her life.

Dorney said Saunooke’s age was not a factor, adding, “If they aren’t doing what they are supposed to do, we’ll take action.”

Passed by the state Legislature in 2009, Act 33, sponsored by state Sen. Sue Madison, D-Fayetteville, established a felony first-offense animalcruelty law. Previously, the charge was a misdemeanor. The act says “a person commits the offense of aggravated cruelty to a dog, cat, or horse if he or she knowingly tortures any dog, cat, or horse.” Harm to each animal can constitute a separate offense.

Saunooke agreed Feb. 25 to turn over a filly and a colt to authorities, the affidavit shows. The filly had an untreated cut that appeared to have come from a barbedwire fence, and Clarksville veterinarian Dr. Shane Parker determined the animals had pneumonia, the affidavit states.

Investigators and volun-teers returned with a search warrant to Saunooke’s property on March 2, seizing 14 other horses.

All the horses are alive, Dorney said. Three of them have given birth since being seized, he said. They are staying on a different farm in Johnson County, Dorney said.

Cynthia Johnson, who two years ago founded Three Feathers Horse Rescue in Marion County, praised Dorney for taking the public’s complaints about Saunooke’s horses seriously. She wasn’t familiar with Saunooke or herhorses.

“Most of these people with horses really do intend to do right,” Johnson said. “They love their animals, but they get in situations where they can’t take care of them, and then don’t want to get rid of them. It’s wrong. They should find them good homes.”

Saunooke, who didn’t return a telephone message Wednesday, predicted in a March 4 telephone interview with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that she’d be charged with a crime for “those two skinny horses.” She said then that the horses were thin and under someone else’s care when they were given to her.

Saunooke said she works on a production line at the Tyson Foods plant in Clarksville. She filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy Nov. 26 , listing $34,598 in debt and $1,270 in assets. Her case was closed on April 5.

There ARE cases that merit action. I note that she had various visits though it would appear all the action was within two weeks. WHAT is not shown here is how ALL could be taken when it is suggested only 2 were involved. And that is what is causing the terror among people who are taking good, loving, complete care of their older animals. The terror ALL will be taken.

Sounds like the sheriff is doing too much talking.

This is not the same as Marsha. Course she probably did not have the beautiful property, over 200 acres either.

Not all rescues are bad. Then there are the PETA/HSUS connected ones. What is going to be the challenge is to educate EVERYWHERE on personal property rights, even if it means getting laws changed. And to be able to show/prove which ones are AGAINST people and their rights. My opine. Always got to add that these days.

There ARE cases that merit action. I note that she had various visits though it would appear all the action was within two weeks. WHAT is not shown here is how ALL could be taken when it is suggested only 2 were involved. And that is what is causing the terror among people who are taking good, loving, complete care of their older animals. The terror ALL will be taken

My sentiments exactly. We have had a few "hard-keepers" over the years, generally when the end is near & the vet has set up a time to come euthanize. I sure would hate to jeopardize my whole farm by someone seeing that one poor, sickly horse. Guess from now on I'll keep those who are not doing well out back where they can't be seen from the road.

I don't know about anyone else but I'm looking at that chestnut mare with the foal at her side in her May 2010 blog post and thinking "Trainwreck waiting to happen"....

Marie

OMG I know!!! And to think she is blogging to give advice to newbies to the horse world!! *scream*

At those prices no wonder she was not selling many... I just can't feature someone with internet access not knowing what the going market rate is for horses of this caliber. It doesn't take much to find out what similar horses are bringing.

I posted this elsewhere. Years back I was sent an arabian mare in foal. Maiden mare. Grew fat and delivered her foal weeks late.

While lactating she was a bag of bones. I believe she was 6 years old. I was feeding 16 quarts of grain each day. Free choice hay, pasture and alfalfa. She was still a bag of bones. Vet refused to allow me to feed her more than 16 quarts per day. WHen her colt was weaned it took about 5 weeks for her to look like a horse again.

She went out the following year on a breeding lease. Once again, while lactating she was a bag of bones. The farm that had her was distraught at her condition and in the vets opinion almost killed her trying to make her look good. She had HUGE bins of some sort of exclusive feed and it MADE NO DIFFERENCE! She looked grotesque!

Some horses are just that way. I do not care what you think but two different farms, feeds and vets could not keep weight on this mare when nursing! PLEASE DO NOT rush to judgement!!

Knowing this, having seen this, it makes me incredibly angry and frustrated at the remarks being made.

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
― Albert Einstein

I posted this elsewhere. Years back I was sent an arabian mare in foal. Maiden mare. Grew fat and delivered her foal weeks late.

While lactating she was a bag of bones. I believe she was 6 years old. I was feeding 16 quarts of grain each day. Free choice hay, pasture and alfalfa. She was still a bag of bones. Vet refused to allow me to feed her more than 16 quarts per day. WHen her colt was weaned it took about 5 weeks for her to look like a horse again.

She went out the following year on a breeding lease. Once again, while lactating she was a bag of bones. The farm that had her was distraught at her condition and in the vets opinion almost killed her trying to make her look good. She had HUGE bins of some sort of exclusive feed and it MADE NO DIFFERENCE! She looked grotesque!

Some horses are just that way. I do not care what you think but two different farms, feeds and vets could not keep weight on this mare when nursing! PLEASE DO NOT rush to judgement!!

Knowing this, having seen this, it makes me incredibly angry and frustrated at the remarks being made.

I've seen this too with an older Negatraz daughter. You could not keep weight on this mare while she was lactating. She was already a bit harder to keep b/c she worried her life away (she suffered some abuse as a younger horse), but with a foal at side... forget it. I saw it in an appendix mare too. You could feed this mare all day and she looked awful with a foal at side. The owner only bred her once and never did again because of it. I agree, others shouldn't be too quick to judge. Those yearlings in the sale photo look just fine to me in health. I don't necessarily think she should have been breeding though, they weren't exactly high quality pedigrees :\